~ In the Shadow of the Rock

Out of the Mouth of Babes

The Ladies Retreat was wonderful; every aspect inspired us. Great fellowship. Amazing worship. The teaching definitely hit the mark! During the free time, my “sister” and I hiked up to the Haystack Lookout and were rewarded with an absolutely breathtaking view of the valley below us. During our second free time we went creek hopping and had a blast freezing our toes off and conquering the challenges. We were stoked.

As we were headed back home, back down into the valley, I got a call from my Mom. Talk about timing. Janet and I had been talking over the weekend about my last blog on hearing and how that applied to our retreat messages of BEING before Yahweh and keeping our focus on Jesus Himself and not Jesus plus anything ~ on clearly hearing what He speaks to us and not adding or subtracting from what HE says. How easy it is for us to stray from the mark by minute increments! And how easy it is for us to not hear Him clearly for so many reasons!

So, back to the phone call from my Mom. My great-niece and her husband are expecting their fourth daughter in January, at which time they will have four girls age 6 and under. Wasn’t exactly what they were planning. Their oldest daughter, Sadie, has just begun first grade, a very intelligent and articulate six year old. Of course, Sadie hears lots as the adults in her life carry on their conversations. Sadie is also not shy, she is definitely more than willing to share whatever is on her mind. With the beginning of a new school year, naturally there are many questions about each student’s family, and things of interest that are happening around them.

Sadie was asked if they had decided on a name for the new baby. Sadie’s reply? Lucky. When asked why she thought the baby’s name should be Lucky, Sadie simply replied, “Because she’s lucky to be here.” Sadie also informed her teacher that she was going to have to go home in the car. When asked why, Sadie told her teacher that her Daddy had to have surgery. What kind of surgery? Oh, on his tongue.

Wondering what on earth could have been wrong with his tongue?

“You know, so he can’t have any more babies.” Duh!

Only catching bits and pieces of conversations and not truly understanding the context or the maturity level of the conversation can certainly lead to misunderstanding – at whatever age we happen to be! Have you ever caught part of someone else’s conversation and certain you knew what was going on, offered some bit of advice and got “the look” in response that let you know with no uncertainty that you had just stuck your foot in your mouth and made a complete idiot of yourself?

Perhaps that is why James admonishes us, “You must all be quick to listen, slow to speak.”

In Mark 4, Jesus puts it this way:

Then he said, “Anyone with ears to hear should listen and understand.” Later, when Jesus was alone with the twelve disciples and with the others who were gathered around, they asked him what the parables meant. He replied, “You are permitted to understand the secret of the Kingdom of God. But I use parables for everything I say to outsiders, so that the Scriptures might be fulfilled:

‘When they see what I do, they will learn nothing.
When they hear what I say, they will not understand.
Otherwise, they will turn to me and be forgiven.’”

Then Jesus said to them, “If you can’t understand the meaning of this parable, how will you understand all the other parables?

It is up to us to choose to want to learn from all that He reveals to us, and to seek to understand when He speaks. First, we must turn to Him and receive His forgiveness. Then we can truly see and hear Him and be filled with His wisdom so that we do understand His purposes and leading in our lives. Then and only then will the knowledge have a place to settle and take root and produce its good fruit through us and benefit the lives of those around us.

May you clearly hear His voice today and then joyfully obey His every word to you!

A special THANK YOU to my wonderful husband, Ken,
for the beautiful illustration for today’s blog.
You are amazing, my love!

Welcome!

I love community! A sharing community is my hope for this blog. I hope you find something here in my writing that is just for you.

My heart is for us, for the richness of BEing and receiving community, of experiencing Life. In faith I offer an invitation to you... Come, taste the goodness of the Lord. Enter into God's Presence and listen as the Spirit speaks directly to your heart. Even in our deepest hurts and darkest despair, Holy Trinity is present and longs for our fellowship and presence in return.

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